U-M will investigate allegations about football program

Despite his confidence that the University of Michigan football program is compliant with NCAA rules, U-M Athletics Director Bill Martin said the University has launched a full investigation of the allegations made by several anonymous sources in an Aug. 30 Detroit Free Press story.

Unnamed sources in the paper claimed the U-M violated NCAA rules regarding the length and frequency of team workouts.

“We are committed to following both the letter and the intent of the NCAA rules and we take any allegations of violations seriously,” says Martin. “We believe we have been compliant with NCAA rules but nonetheless we have launched a full investigation of the allegations in the newspaper. We have already reached out to both the Big 10 and the NCAA to ensure they are fully aware of the situation, and we will have more to say on this as soon as we have completed our assessment.”

Martin met with team members Sunday, reiterating his belief in the program’s compliance and encouraging them to be forthright in answering any questions during the internal investigation. He also urged them to keep focused on their school work and Saturday’s season opener.

University officials are in the process of determining the facts of the situation through interviews with coaches, staff and athletes, conducted under the auspices of Judy van Horn, associate athletic director for compliance.